.Scarab Ransomware Virus Removal

In the event that your computer has been infected by ransomware, the consequences can be quite serious. You may end up losing access to some very important information forever, without ever being able see or use it again.

Valuable data can end up being lost forever, and this is one of the reasons why this malware category is considered to be among the most dangerous. Lately we have been receiving reports about yet another ransomware virus called .Scarab ransomware that has been encrypting the files of users across the globe. Typically, victims have been finding out about the infection only after their most precious data had been locked by means of a ransom note on their desktops or in the folders of the encrypted files. Terrified by the prospect of not being able to reach their files anymore and feeling violated by the hackers’ unscrupulous blackmail, users have been asking us to offer an alternative solution to this issue. And though as much as we’d like to we cannot promise the successful recover from this infection, we have designed a special removal guide to help deal with .Scarab. In it you will also find instructions on how to restore your files from system backups, if possible.

.Scarab Ransomware Virus

What makes ransomware such a devastating threat?

As we already pointed out, the possibility of never being able to access your data again is one of the things that make viruses like .Scarab one of the most feared threats on the web. But it’s not by far the only one. The vast majority of infections are only noticed after the virus reveals itself, meaning the damage is already done. And that’s not because all of the victims failed to have their Firewall on or didn’t bother to invest in an antivirus program. It’s because nearly all antivirus programs aren’t capable of detecting ransomware. The process of encryption isn’t a malicious one, paradoxical as it may sound. We use the benefits of encryption every day and rely on it to keep our financial data and personal details shielded from prying eyes, for example. So ransomware doesn’t exactly act like any other malware type, and that allows it to escape the radar of security software.

So besides being stealthy and rendering utterly unpleasant and disastrous consequences, what else makes ransomware so dangerous? The simple answer to that is cryptocurrencies. Normally, the hackers behind this type of malware request they be paid in some cryptocurrency, mainly Bitcoin, and also provide detailed instructions on how to make the transfer. The problem is that victims who comply with the demands and actually do send their money can be positive that they will never be able to get it back again. Furthermore, not even the authorities or law enforcement will be able to do anything about it, because cryptocurrencies cannot be traced. They offer full anonymity for both the sender and the recipient, which unfortunately provides the perfect cover for extortionists like the people behind .Scarab ransomware.

So, with such an easy source of income and little to no way of getting prosecuted, ransomware viruses and their creators have been thriving over the years. And the only plausible way to undercut them is by not funding them further. Not only will you be contributing to a criminal scheme, but you might just be throwing your money away, too. Oftentimes victims don’t even receive a decryption key, as they were initially promised. And as a result they’re still left with a bunch of inaccessible files and a lighter wallet. There are other alternatives that we recommend you try instead of first rushing to pay the extortionists. And the first step to take would be removing .Scarab as soon as possible. It could introduce other viruses to your computer or encrypt whatever data you manage to recover all over again. Instructions on how to do that are provided in the guide below.

Next, you can try the instructions that come after for the restoration of the files that .Scarab has encrypted. This may not be possible in all instances of infection, depending on what exactly the virus has done in your case. But it’s worth trying anyway. And if that doesn’t work, we have also published a list of free decryptor tools released by specialists in the field. You can check it out and to see if one of them will be successful in decrypting your data.

.Scarab Ransomware Virus Removal

Prior to starting to execute the steps from the guide, we advise you to either bookmark this page or open it on a separate device since throughout the process of completing the guide, you might need to exit your browser.

1: Using Safe Mode

Before beginning to troubleshoot the issue, you are advised to enter Safe Mode on your PC. If you do not know how to do that, use this guide on how to enter Safe Mode.

2: Spotting the process

Open your Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination. Next, go to the processes tab and carefully look through the list for any shady entries. Usually, malicious processes will be consuming large amounts of CPU and RAM and will either have no description or will have a suspicious-looking one.

Once you identify the virus’ process, right-click on it and select Open File Location. Delete everything in the folder that opens if you are sure that the process was malicious. If you are not sure, contact us in the comments.

Go back to the Task Manager and end the potentially harmful process.

3: Hosts file IP’s

Go to your start menu and in the search field, paste the following address: notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts. Select the first result and look at the bottom of the newly opened notepad file. See if there are any IP’s below “Localhost” and tell us in the comments if there were any IP addresses.

4: System Configuration Startup Programs

Type System Configuration in the Windows search bar and open the first result. Go to the Startup tab and take a look at the list of startup programs (on Windows 10, the Startup programs can be seen in the Startup Section of the Task Manager). If any of them look shady or have unknown manufacturer or a manufacturer with a sketchy name, uncheck those entries and click on OK.

5: Registry

Open the Run window (WinKey + R), type regedit and press Enter. Once the Registry Editor opens, press Ctrl + F and type the name of the virus. Select Find Next and delete whatever gets found that has the virus’ name. Do that with all search results.

6: Deleting potential virus files

Open the Start Menu and separately type each of the following locations: %AppData% %LocalAppData% %ProgramData% %WinDir% %Temp% . Open each of those folders and sort their contents by date. Delete the most recent files and folders. When you open the Temp folder, delete everything in it.